TPREL commissions India’s ‘largest’ single-axis solar power plant; BII will financially support 594 MW solar capacity; MNRE’s ALMM implementation date extended to October 1, 2022; NTPC brings online 102 MW solar capacity for 2 separate projects.
Tata Power commissions 300 MW PV: Tata Power Renewables Energy Ltd (TPREL) has energized a 300 MW solar power plant in Gujarat’s Dholera calling it India’s largest single-axis solar tracker system. Equipped with 873,012 monocrystalline solar modules, it is designed to generate 774 million kWh annually. TPREL hired its EPC arm Tata Power Solar Systems Limited to bring the project to completion on 1,320 acres of land area. With this project online, Tata Power counts its operational renewables capacity to have grown to 3.4 GW comprising 2.47 GW solar and 932 MW wind energy.
BII commits $89 Million for solar in Asia: The British International Investment (BII), (previously CDC), has pledged $89 million financial commitment to support 594 MW of solar power capacity. Of the total, $47 million is a follow-on investment in Fourth Partner Energy to help it build 294 MW of greenfield renewable power generation across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam. All of this capacity will cater to commercial and industrial (C&I) customers of Fourth Partner. The remaining $42 million have been committed to an Indian subsidiary of Italy’s Enel, Thar Surya 1 Private Limited for a 300 MW greenfield solar project in India. These financial commitments are part of BII’s plans to invest $1 billion in climate finance in India over the next 5 years.
MNRE extends ALMM imposition: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has extended the imposition date of its Approved Models and Manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic Modules (ALMM) for renewable energy projects. Instead of April 1, 2022 as was decided previously, the same will come into effect from October 1, 2022 onward. It will be applicable for open access and net metering projects that will be required to source modules from models and manufacturers listed. This gives some window of opportunity for solar developers to source their modules from other makers, as the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) has already come into effect from April 1, 2022.
NTPC commissions 102 MW solar: NTPC Ltd has brought online the last part of its 180 MW Jetsar Solar PV Project in Rajasthan with the commissioning of 80 MW capacity. It entered into commercial operations with effect from March 25, 2022. It has also brought online 22 MW out of its 92 MW Kayamkulam Floating Solar Power Plant at Kayamkulam in Kerala under phase I. With these capacities online, NTPC counts its standalone installed and commercial power generation capacity as 54.59 GW, while group installed and commercial capacity has reached 68.96 GW and 68.30 GW, respectively. Recently, it energized 42.5 MW floating solar capacity for its Ramagundam Project taking the commissioned capacity of the 100 MW project to 80 MW (see India PV News Snippets).
